Hello world,

I had been posting at vip.asus.com but their login kinda borked or something. Sorry if this particular forum/section isn't the correct one.

 

Current hardware:

motherboard: ASUS M2NPV-VM, AM2 socket, DDR2

BIOS version 1401

CPU: one of the Athlon 64 3500+, 2.2GHz

has a Radeon HD 5450 PCIe

OS: Debian 6.0 stable, linux 2.6.32, Xen 4.0, 64 bit

8GiB RAM and 2 SATA drives with LVM on an async software RAID1.

 

The motherboard's kinda old and the only thing  haven't upgraded is the CPU. After much searching around i'd like some feedback on the best choice of CPU for this particular mb. The main purpose is to goof around with OSes, servers, networking and virtualization: like having windows servers for DNS and what not, samba shares, webservers, VPNs... goofing around. Its not a production machine nor am i a gamer (and it seems the mb doesn't have IOMMU so i can't passthrough the Radeon through PCI anyway).

 

Since the mb only supports DDR2, any Athon II or Phenom II is kind of overkill, since they like to play with DDR3. I could get one, even though the motherboard's old (the main reason i prefer AMD) and some do support AM2+, but i have no intention of buying another moterboard anytime soon. Opterons and Sempreons seem to be out of the question too.

CPU-world has a neat motherboard upgrade page, and the only Phenom's that seem to fit the bill are the Phenom X4 9450e and X4 9600. The problem's only 9600 is listed in ASUS's CPU compatibility list, but the mb is not listed in AMD's mb compatibility list for 9600.

Also i'm not really sure just how compatible are AM2+ processors with AM2 boards. I've upgraded to 1401 BIOS (which includes support for 9450e), but i'd need 5005 for the 9600, which worries me a bit 'cos that was the last version ASUS ever put out for that BIOS and it's a beta.

Then there's the Athlon X2 and Athlon 64 X2, and there's a whole bunch of them which makes them hard to pick and sort. What's the real difference between "64 X2" and "X2"? Is it really only branding and the X2 ones are more recent? And which one would i pick, out of that gazillion options? Faster, preferably, and i also wouldn't mind avoiding the 125W ones...

Aparently the best one would be Athlon X2 BE-2400, but obviously i'd prefer a Phenom.

 

CPU-world kinda confuses me with "Virtualization" and "AMD-V" when describing CPU capabilities, this is important 'cos i wanna fiddle with HVMs. From what i've seen even my current CPU supports that, i'll know soon enough, but i'd like to know for sure when buying one.

Other issues that bug me are core steppings and their influence on my choice, as well as datecodes.

And, of course, if ebay is a safe choice to buy whichever CPUs you guys recommend for this.

 

TIA for any detailed feedback, and sorry for any poor formatting (and maybe the crappy poll), couldn't find the Preview.

personly I would stay clear of the first gen phenoms like the 9600 and go with either the PhenomII 945 or the AthlonII 640 both have dual memory controlers so thay can run DDR2 just fine and will out performe the 9600 hands down

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PhenomII 1100T// Asus Sabertooth R2.0 // 2X HD5850 CF //8Gb of 1866Mhz ram, H50 cooling, HX850W psu all stuffed into a NZXT Phantom case.


Was a member of AMD Processer forum since 2008. Last post count 1818.

Looking at the Official ASUS CPU support list for that motherboard it lists the Phenom II x4 945 as supported, so I would go with that.

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Crosshair IV Formula, Phenom II x4 965 w/ Corsair H60, 8 GiB OCZ Platinum DDR3 1600, XFX HD 7970 Ghz, 512GB Vertex 4, 256GB Vector, 240GB Agility 3, Creative X-Fi Titanium w/ Creative Gigaworks S750, SeaSonic X750, HP ZR2440w, Win 7 Ultimate x64

Ok, so the Phenom II X4 945 seems to be a winner.

 

Core steppings and datecodes still confuse me, and this seems to be an important aspect of this CPU: according to ASUS, the supported CPU is rev C3, HDX945WFK4DGM (which is the same as HDX945WFGMBOX). Given that they dropped the WOL code -- and the EZ update part too! -- to accomodate more processors in their 5005 BIOS, i assume they only support this specific rev - which makes sense since it's the most recent (i think).

 

I see them on ebay, i'm just not sure i'll get the specific part number i'll order instead of a "generic" Phenom II X4 945.

 

Any opinions?

Honestly, if it were me, I would look at getting a whole new system, such as a Trinity A8 or A10 based setups. They're not that expensive, have plenty of power, and can always be turned into a good closet server or HTPC after you're finished. Buying used electronics off ebay is always a risk.

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Crosshair IV Formula, Phenom II x4 965 w/ Corsair H60, 8 GiB OCZ Platinum DDR3 1600, XFX HD 7970 Ghz, 512GB Vertex 4, 256GB Vector, 240GB Agility 3, Creative X-Fi Titanium w/ Creative Gigaworks S750, SeaSonic X750, HP ZR2440w, Win 7 Ultimate x64

Yeah i know, i could get a new system 'all-included' for a bit over 400€, but the thing is i don't need one; it's not money i'd want to spend right now; and i want to upgrade this motherboard to its limit.

 

Eventually i'll get a new mb with a A* or a Phenom II X6, DDR3 RAM and what not... but for now i just want the best CPU this mb can handle.

 

The best option for that board would be the Phenom IIX4 945. Official ASUS CPU support list for that motherboard lists the Phenom II x4 945 as supported as previously stated. It is the best chip listed there as far as performance. Also as already mentioned I would stay clear of the first gen phenoms. 

I wouldnt be too concerned with core steppings and datecodes.

A. you are going to be limited to what chips are available and

B. Your use of "to goof around" really shouldnt be a issue. 

 

The honest truth is you are at a point with that board that unless you can get a chip nearly free it is time to consider wisely investing your money. As you stated that board is "old" it was not a high end board when it was new and capacitors can and will fail. And in this case your looking at going to a chip that is subpar by todays standards, pulls 95W, possibly a new PSU will be needed, new stresses on the components of the "old" board. Then your looking for the best board for that chip. People dont upgrade always because of necessity. Sometimes it becomes the reasonable choice.

Upgrading really is not that expensive. Boards are cheap and even a new lower end chip may be more powerful than your options for your current board. I only paid $272.54 at newegg for my ASRock 970 EXTREME3 Motherboard, FX8320, and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. You already have SATA HDD drives so possibly a SATA CD/DVD ROM and your light years ahead of the game with a warranty.  

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ASRock 970 EXTREME3 / AMD FX-8320 @ 4.4 / G.SKILL Sniper 8GB / XFX HD 6950

X4 945BE.

 

But, I just upgraded from a 940 to my FX 8350, and for the money, it's a hell of a bump.

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